Within a week after concluding the PLGA week, the members of the banned CPI (Maoist) have escalated violence by allegedly killing a tribal from Vakapalli village in G. Madugula mandal in Visakha agency, after branding him as a police informer.
The incident reportedly happened just before midnight on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Gemmili Krishna Rao.
It is learnt that around 30 Maoist cadres picked up the victim from his home and hacked him to death at a place close to the village. The Maoists left a letter accusing him of being a police informer and forcing tribal youth to take part in the ‘Jana Maitri’ programme and the volleyball tournaments being conducted by the police. He had given shelter to a police informer who had allegedly aided the police in the Ramaguda exchange of fire (over 30 Maoists were killed in 2016). He was threatening the witnesses and the victims of the Vakapalli gangrape case to silence them, the letter charged.
As per the letter, Krishna Rao was killed by the members of PLGA from the Pedabayalu and Korukonda Area Committee, for his anti-party activities, after holding a ‘praja court’ hearing. He was warned on several occasions but he did not heed them, the letter said.
Police refute claims
However, the police claimed that he was an innocent tribal and had nothing to do with the police activities and that as per the villagers no ‘praja court’ was held.
Superintendent of Police B. Krishna Rao said, “Vakapalli was once a Maoist stronghold but ever since the police had made inroads, the former were losing their ground as the tribals were joining the mainstream. To counter the situation and to create fear among the tribals, they hacked an innocent tribal in front of his family and friends. The deceased, aged around 32, is survived by wife and three children.”
According to OSD (Narsipatnam) Satish Kumar, the deceased was once a militia member.
